WEBVTT - Utah St. Guard Steven Ashworth on Passing on Duke, Aggressive NIL Approach, Shooting 0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:07.200 Hey, welcome to I'm Doug gli Been. This is all ball. 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:09.639 We caught up this week with Stephen Ashworth, who's a 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:12.639 I guess he's a sophomore at Utah State, but a 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:16.759 really interesting career. He high school basketball, he grew up 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:19.800 in Alpine, Utah for the most part, played famed Loan 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:23.720 Peak high school and um, you know, late in his 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:25.639 high school career he blew up. He'll tell you about 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:27.600 all that. Was set to go to Utah State with 0:00:27.640 --> 0:00:31.280 Tim Duryer. Dryer gets fired, thought about opening up his recruitment, 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:34.200 goes on his more remission, comes back and now last 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:37.560 year played a huge role with Craig Smith's Aggies. Craig 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:41.240 Smith leaves, goes to Utah. Did you think about transferring? 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:44.960 What is Ryan Odom like to play for? And what's 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:48.720 it like to be only four months married? Plus he's 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:50.440 been on social media ton trying to get a name, 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:53.160 image and likeness deals. Let's catch up with the star 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:59.120 point guard for the Aggies of Utah State, Stephen Ashworth. Um, okay, 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.760 So want to get to the name, image and likeness thing. 0:01:02.000 --> 0:01:03.360 I want to get to the fact you guys have 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:07.440 a new coaching staff. What that's all like, but explain 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:11.639 to me the Lone Pine deal. So I remember, probably 0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:14.759 a decade ago, somebody tell me, like, man, this there's 0:01:14.800 --> 0:01:18.080 this high school in Utah and they're just they got 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:22.920 dudes dudes everywhere, right, Yeah? Is what what what Lone 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:25.200 Pine High School? Is that just a regular high school 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:28.639 where lots of players live close? Is it a private school? 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:31.959 Like what is for somebody who's not a Bee High 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:34.920 State or what is Lone Pine High School? Yeah? So 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:41.640 it's it's actually Long Peak. Uh, there's a mountain peak 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:43.880 called Loan Peak right up right up above the school. 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:48.480 So it's called Loan Peak High School. Um. And I believe, honestly, 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:51.760 just the basketball dominance that it's had over the past 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:55.800 twenty years really started with head coach Quincy Lewis when 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:58.720 he was there and then many people know him as 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:01.720 he went to buy U after and um now he's 0:02:01.760 --> 0:02:03.480 back in the state of Utah coach in high school 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:07.640 basketball once again. Um. But it's a public school, Um, 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:11.679 completely public. Uh. You have to live in school boundaries 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:15.480 in order to go to Loan Peak and so, um, 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:17.400 you know, we couldn't have some of the top basketball 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:20.519 players in the state live in you know, different cities 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:22.520 and come to school. They're just to play for Long Peak. 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:27.079 And so a lot of people um started to take 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:32.160 notice when uh they were on that national stage. And UM, 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:34.160 you know, we had great talent all the way back 0:02:34.200 --> 0:02:37.639 with Jackson Emory and Tyler Hawes at Loan Peak. And 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:41.160 I think that kind of just created the culture that, um, 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.040 if if you want to play for Long Peak, you 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:47.400 gotta be great, and and that developed players like Nick Emery, T. J. Haws, 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.079 Eric Meeka and they actually in two thousand thirteen were 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:55.040 named national champions. So so to wait, So all of 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:57.960 those kids actually grew up right there or did some 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:02.720 families move in move into so surprisingly, the Emeries, the Hawses, 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:07.280 the Mika's, um, they all lived there and Alpine um 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.240 grew up there and and me myself, I moved there 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:14.080 when I was five, UM and so and my end 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.120 at the time, my parents weren't really thinking basketball and 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:19.080 we should move to Alone Peak because we lived in 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.200 the boundary, UM where high school is already really good 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:23.760 at basketball. It was just kind of a change of 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:27.280 scenery for the family. And UM, I was fortunate enough 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:29.400 to grow up going to all those high school games 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.880 watching those guys, and so I think that kind of 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:35.960 helped fuel my passion for basketball. Okay, so immately you 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:39.880 say I grew up going to those games. Um. The 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:42.320 basketball obviously such a big part of the Mormon community, 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:46.720 just huge. Any Mormon church has has basketball gym and 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:50.480 guys played basketball. But how big is like, how big 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:53.600 is the gym at Lumpeak. Uh, the gym at Lumpeak 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:58.600 can fit people. Um, And so it's a pretty average, 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:02.120 you know, high school arena it. Um. There was a 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:04.120 time for a while when we would play a rival 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:06.160 American Fork High school, we'd either have to have that 0:04:06.240 --> 0:04:09.480 game UM down at Utah Valley University or at the 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:12.880 Marriott Center at by U UM just for crowd attendance 0:04:12.960 --> 0:04:17.200 and so UM. But yeah, all those games were always packed. Um. 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:20.000 It was always sold out and it was a fun environment. 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:23.000 I remember one of the funnest games was UM when 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:27.120 we played St. Joseph out of New York. They came 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:29.719 in for an ESPN game at Loan Peak and it 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:33.120 was crazy, just the atmosphere and the students and just 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:35.159 the passion for basketball. Because you're at you know, every 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.400 church around here in the LDS faith. We have a 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:41.440 basketball gym, and and so kids grew up beyond going 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.200 to that gym and and working out with their dads 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:47.600 or their siblings or their friends. And um, you know, 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:49.839 during the summer, we were there every day just playing 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:53.840 pick up at the church and it was awesome. So um, 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:57.159 Jimmer Okay, Now, obviously Jimmer comes in he's a star 0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:01.560 by U, but he's not from Utah as a as 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:05.240 a kid who grew up in Alting. When I see 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:08.839 Jimmer for debt, like, is he one of your guys? 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:11.560 Is he not? Like? What? What is? How is he 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:16.760 thought of in the state of Utah? Um, Jimmer for 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:21.080 that is arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time. 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:27.800 That's just that's what the state of utak um. And 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.880 you know, it's it's it's sad that he didn't have, um, 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:34.320 you know, quite the career in the NBA that everybody 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:37.320 was hoping to see. You know that that Steph Curry 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:40.120 has been able to have. And but it's interesting. I 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:45.119 remember vividly, um going to UH. It was a huge 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:48.960 game San Diego State, Quiet Leonard. It was a top 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:52.400 ten game down in Provo, and I remember going to 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:56.080 that game just the atmosphere around Jimmer. Um, it was 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:59.880 crazy and it was something that that I aspired to be. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:02.120 I wanted to be a player in the state of 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:05.920 Utah that other little kids wanted to be when they 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:10.240 grew up. And so Um, Jimmer is definitely somebody that 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.000 that I look up to. It I've met a few times. 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:16.920 I've I've done some workouts with him, and the guy 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:20.640 trained with Paul Peterson knows him, knows him really well. 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:24.920 And so um always super genuine dude. And and people, 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:30.080 you know, whether we're Utah State fans, Utaugh fans, BIU fans, um, 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:34.000 there's a pretty wide consensus that everybody respects what Jimmer 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:36.200 fordet was able to do and in the game of 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:39.159 college basketball. And now it's crazy to see what Damian 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.960 Millard did out of Weiver State, but in that time period, 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:46.559 it was all about Jimmer. And it's crazy right there 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:49.800 that everybody pay attention to Jimmer. Here is Damian Lillard, 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:55.520 who's actually Olympian at the NBA. All start, okay, So Um, 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:59.160 you know, if you go back to you know, late 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:03.040 nineties and two thousands, obviously Utah when the Jaris was 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:06.560 there was hot and they've gone up and down. They've 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:10.440 had some great runs even since um b y U 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:14.239 Jimmer was was their peak in the last twenty years. 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:17.920 But again, and this is a guy who grew up. 0:07:18.640 --> 0:07:21.040 I grew up hoooping at a Morgan church in the 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:23.920 city of Orange in California. I seem in with my 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:29.080 Mormon buddies, right and so UM. And then my brother 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:31.800 was an assistant at Santego State, So I know a 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:34.720 lot about b y U back when obviously those games 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:38.960 were taking place. But for you growing up, was b 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:41.880 yu the school coming because he end up now being 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:46.600 started at Utah State? Like what was who was your 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.440 what was your school? Or was it more players? Because 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:52.200 I always thought that Mormon kids want to go to 0:07:52.240 --> 0:07:54.600 b y U first and then after that, you know, 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:57.600 maybe Utah or then Utah State? Like what is what 0:07:57.720 --> 0:08:01.560 was the school going up? Grown up? UM? Personally, for me, 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:05.560 it was like obviously, living in Utah County, you're surrounded 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:09.320 by UM by U, and then there's divide, the divide 0:08:09.320 --> 0:08:13.280 between by U and Utah UM and then obviously Utah 0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:16.560 States a little more north and so down in Utah 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.640 County there even when I go back home, like I'm 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:21.200 like dang, like, we need to get some more love 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:23.760 for the Aggies down here, whether it be in the 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:26.840 sports stores or stuff like that, because really obviously the 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:28.920 sports you know, stories are there to make their money, 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:30.800 and they make a lot off of just the rivalry 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:33.240 between by U and Utah and that division between red 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:37.280 and Blue. Um, and so growing up, I personally really 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:42.120 admired the players and the individuals and so Um it 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:45.359 was always a dream of mine to play Division one basketball, 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:48.160 and you know that with the way recruiting goes, I 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:51.080 never really had an idea of where I wanted to 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:54.520 actually eventually end up, and so I kind of distanced 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:58.959 myself from kind of picking a school that I would 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:02.160 deem as my school. But I definitely supported guys like 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:05.760 Jimmer and then um Tyler Hawes, just the lone Peat 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:08.040 guys were a lot of the guys that I watched 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:11.520 and and looked up to. But then Um, right about 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:15.199 my ninth grade year and high schools when I started 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:19.479 noticing Um Sam and what he was doing a bountiful 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:23.760 and um like small world comparison. One of our best 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:28.320 family friends was actually his mission companion Um in the 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:32.680 mission when when he served in Nicaragua, and so that's 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:35.360 when I kind of started taking even more notice. And 0:09:35.360 --> 0:09:37.240 and when I came up to the visits here at 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:40.480 Yourta State, Sam was always, you know, super welcoming, and 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:43.560 it was a big part of why I wanted to 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:46.199 come here is I wanted to to keep that legacy 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:51.280 that he created going and UM. And so to kind 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:53.120 of answer that question in short, I think it was 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:57.560 really more about who my guys were rather than was 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:00.960 I a big Utah fan or a Utah State fan 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:04.240 or um by U fan. And with the proximity, I 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:06.439 probably went to the most of the b I U 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:10.000 games than than any other. What what what is the 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:12.920 decision like as to whether or not you're gonna go 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:18.280 on your mission? UM? A lot of it's just based 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:23.360 on personal preference. UM. We've been asked, whether it being 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:25.319 the scriptures or whether by the leaders of the church 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:29.600 to share the message of the Gospel UM. And so 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.680 for me, it was a hard decision, but at the 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:36.000 same time an easy decision because I knew how important 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:38.840 it was to share the message of hope and just 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:41.880 of love with the world that we live in today, 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:44.400 and so I knew that it would be an experience 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:48.080 that UM that I couldn't pass up. And I had 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:52.360 great examples and my dad, my my brother, and and 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:55.120 even other guys that played basketball Olympic that that went 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:56.960 on missions. You know, I looked up to them a lot, 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:02.240 and and that helped facilitate my decision to serve UH. UM. 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:06.360 There's a time where my very last high school basketball game, 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:10.960 UM made that decision to go on a mission more 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:14.280 difficult than it was just with the the publicity that 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.679 I received from that. It was the Geico Nationals in 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:21.960 team where we played m R. J. Barrett and Mont 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:25.600 Bird And so that game kind of changed the course. 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:28.640 But eventually I still end up going on my mission 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:32.480 right after that. How you changed the course? UM? So 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:37.000 right then, UM the coach of Utah State UM got 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:39.840 let go and Coach Smith was just hired, and so 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:43.760 that opened up my recruiting once again as UM as 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:46.840 basically a non committed player. And it was right during 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:49.720 the Final four where all the coaches are in the 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:54.240 ballrooms and meeting with each other, and UM, I scored 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:56.160 twenty nine points in the second half on R. J. 0:11:56.280 --> 0:12:00.400 Barrett and everybody was going crazy on Twitter here and 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:06.640 social media and everything and um that night, my head coach, 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:11.120 Coach Evans, got a call from the assistant coach John 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.400 Shire at Duke saying, hey, we want Stephen to come. 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:16.800 And it had been something that we were talking about 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:20.720 early on at the beginning of my senior year. We 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:24.559 were talking about possibly being a preferred walk on at 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:28.880 Duke and they said that if they didn't feel all 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:33.320 of their UM thirteen reports in scholarship positions, then UM 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:35.080 I would be the first in line to change I 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:39.520 preferred walk onto a scholarship spot. And so um I 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:42.600 then got He called my coach and said, hey, we 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:44.880 want Stephen, but not as a preferred walk on. We 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:48.680 have that open scholarship. And so that was kind of 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:53.880 the decision that became really tough to pass down Afreid 0:12:53.920 --> 0:12:57.240 scholarship to play at Duke to serve my mission, But 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:00.640 ultimately came down to that I knew that that God 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:04.160 came first and that that he'd provide away and then honestly, 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:06.280 I couldn't be happier than than where I'm out here 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:09.599 at Eta State. Um, so what is it? What was 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.200 it like for you? They see you turned down Duke 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:15.679 to go on a mission. Right. He also turned down 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:19.600 Duke to stay loyal to Utah State even though um, 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:21.920 they got rid of coach dury A and and they 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:24.240 hire a guy and Craig Smith, who like you, you 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:30.800 don't know? Yeah, so so uh when did you find out, 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:34.600 like timeline wise, where you're going? Where you were going? 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:40.840 So that game, Um, the game happened in March, and 0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:43.360 they basically Duke was saying that they want me out 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:45.800 there in May, and then I was planned to leave 0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:48.640 on my mission in July. UM, and I already had 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:52.920 the assignments to go to Indiana in July. And UM, 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:57.360 and so that week after the two weeks after that tournament, 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:00.280 we're stressful. It was a lot of condom play, sation, 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:03.640 a lot of research, a lot of prayer on just 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.920 what would be in best fit UM and best opportunity 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:10.760 for me, and and ultimately through a lot of counsel 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.960 with my family and a lot of prayer, UM, I 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:19.000 then decided UM early April that that I'd stay committed 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.560 to Utah State and UM that I was going to 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:25.000 go there after my two year mission. Fox Sports Radio 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:27.880 has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:31.320 all of our shows at Fox sports Radio Dot com 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:34.000 and within the I Heart radio app search f s 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:39.160 R to listen live. Okay, so, uh, Indiana does not 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:42.680 seem like you know, Sam goes to Sam goes to Nicaragua. 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:46.760 You go to Indiana. Um, so you do to Indiana? 0:14:47.000 --> 0:14:49.080 What was your what was your because I know they 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.600 move you around as well, what was your first spot 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.280 like when you get to Indiana. Um? So my first 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:58.760 spot in Indiana, I was in Um there's a town 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:04.480 called Avon. It's just west of Indianapolis. It it borders 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.920 or some towns of Brownsburg and um and some stuff 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:10.680 just out the Highway of four sixty five out there. 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.920 And it was great. Um, there's a lot of diversity 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.120 in Indiana that I that I didn't know there was. 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:19.080 I thought it was mainly gonna be a lot of 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:22.600 corn fields and um outdoor basketball hoops, which there were 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:25.960 plenty of that, um, but inside the city and and 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.920 the city's bordering Indianapolis, there's a lot of different diversity 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:33.080 which was super cool to learn about and um into experience. 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:35.080 And then I was actually in one of the only 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:41.240 apartment complexes with an indoor basketball court. So that was Yeah, 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:43.720 it was perfect. That was a perfect kind of adjustment 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:47.120 into a into a mission with the opportunity that I 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.200 could just walk down into the basement of the of 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:53.160 the apartment complex and had a nice little half court setup, 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:56.120 which was fun. Okay, So, but so that's like the 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:58.200 opposite of most guys. So many guys they even touch 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:01.360 of basketball. Yeah, yeah, I mean I have I have 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:05.160 teammates like Brock Miller who like, we still make a joke. 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:08.000 He's like, man, like, did you even go on a mission? 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:10.240 And I was like, yes, I went on a mission. 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:12.840 I maybe got to play a lot of basketball on 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:15.560 that mission, but I did go on a mission. And 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.360 Brock he touched the ball like three times, and just 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:21.600 the culture there he went. Um, he went to South 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:23.600 America as well, and you know it's a lot of 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.280 soccer and um, that's how you kind of connect with 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:29.400 the people there. And luckily in Indiana, basically everybody that 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:32.120 wanted to hear the message also wanted to play basketball, 0:16:32.160 --> 0:16:35.640 and so we'd play a little bit and then then 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:38.880 after playing, the questions and start coming of like how 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:41.520 are you so good? Because they don't expect a little 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:44.080 white kid and a shirt and tie to to be 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:48.480 a hooper or anything. So it was funny. So, UM, 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:51.360 what's that? What was that existence like for you? Um 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:56.200 in Indiana preaching the gospel? Um? You know, yeah, I 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.760 know you have a partner with you. What what was 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.680 you What was your experienced like on your mission in 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:06.080 terms of not the basketball element, the element of sharing 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:09.720 the gospel. Yeah, I mean, honestly, it was life changing, 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:13.640 um for me. And UM, you know, there's a lot 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:16.479 of people that I was able to share the message 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:19.040 of Jesus Christ and the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:21.960 UM to a lot of people who are confused. Um, 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:25.400 they didn't know what to believe. Uh. I think especially 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:29.639 with Christianity today and how many different religions there are, 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:31.199 and how many different beliefs there are, a lot of 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:35.359 people just want some common ground, wants some understanding of 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:38.800 of why that happened. And Um, through my study and 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:41.800 knowledge of the Church of Jesus Christ glatiy Saints, I're 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:45.320 be able to teach them about, um, the confusion that 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:48.480 went on after Christ left and and how so many 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:52.359 people have have different views, and how a lot of 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:57.000 those views are very similar, but how there's specific things 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:00.240 that that God once done, and and it was cool 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:02.200 to be able to bring that piece to them, which 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:07.040 brought peace to me. And I was able to see 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:12.280 my witness and testimony of Jesus Christ grow as I 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:15.080 was teaching it to others, which was I think the 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:18.240 biggest blessing of it all. Honestly. Well, okay, so so 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:20.800 I died deeper into that for me, if you would. Okay, 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:23.800 So it feels like what you're saying is like, look, 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:28.719 you always believed, right, you always believe, you always had faith. 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:33.320 But again, this is just me who I have no 0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:37.480 basis of knowledge. Yeah, it feels like though by sharing 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:41.480 it and by by having these discussions all of a 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:43.600 sudden now became a lot more real to you. But 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:49.280 but but explain what that like? Go a little further on, Yeah, 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:52.679 what what became more real? Toy? What specifically did you 0:18:52.720 --> 0:18:57.600 feel differently about when you were sharing it? Yeah? I think, Um, 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:00.680 like one of the biggest things that that I thought 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:05.159 of over and over again is like, Um, before my mission, 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:09.199 I would say that I believed in Jesus Christ. Like 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:11.720 I believe that that he did come to earth. I 0:19:11.800 --> 0:19:15.760 believed that he was God's son. Um, I believe that 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:20.080 he performed miracles. I believed that um, he was resurrected 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:23.679 and that because of that we can all live again together. UM. 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:27.240 But after my mission, and even during it, I felt 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:31.840 like the term really became I believe Jesus Christ. UM. 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:34.040 So it's not necessarily believing in him, but like I 0:19:34.080 --> 0:19:37.040 believe him, I believe his words. I believe that when 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:39.159 he says he can heal me, he can forgive me 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:42.520 him as my sins. UM. It became very more real. 0:19:42.600 --> 0:19:47.280 And so I think that UM, when you one of 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:50.960 the best ways to learn something is by teaching it UM. 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:54.040 And I think that even applies to basketball. Right. One 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:57.440 of the best things that I learn more about a 0:19:57.560 --> 0:19:59.800 move or learn more about a shooting technique is when 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:01.760 I have young kids that are like, hey, how do 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:03.960 you do this right? And it takes me a minutes 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:06.920 think and say, well, I've done it forever. I know 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:09.040 how to do it, but but how would I help 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:12.520 you do it? And so when I think about Jesus Christ, 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:15.040 it's you know, I believe in Jesus Christ, but when 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:20.680 somebody asks me, well how do I or how can they? Um, 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:23.080 it becomes very more real. And the sense of how 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:26.520 I got that testimony, um, and how I've seen it 0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:29.960 change over the years, and um, and honestly, right when 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:32.199 I got back from it, lisn't it It needs to 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:34.720 be the same thing. You know, if I'm not reading 0:20:34.720 --> 0:20:39.480 my scriptures, are praying daily, then I can feel that 0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:43.480 that sense of you know, kind of taking a step back. Um. 0:20:43.520 --> 0:20:46.040 The same thing is true with with anything in our lives, 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:49.239 whether it's basketball, work, education. You know, if we're not 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:52.800 trying to excel at it, um, I think we're we're 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:58.040 de slling in a way. So UM, I've always wondered, 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:01.199 you know, like this goes back to when I was 0:21:02.560 --> 0:21:06.040 at au Player middle school, high school. We play, we 0:21:06.200 --> 0:21:09.879 play Utah teams and they can all shoot and they 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:14.440 don't play. But also it always felt like they were 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:19.720 like physical and tough. And it's honestly like your boy 0:21:19.760 --> 0:21:22.159 being is like this where if I met you in 0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:24.560 the hallway of like, man, that's the nicest kid ever, 0:21:25.200 --> 0:21:27.240 and I play against you, I'm like, I don't like 0:21:27.359 --> 0:21:32.600 they're so physical and and and and not. And I 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.760 know some of the b y Utah Stoup they get dirty, right, 0:21:35.800 --> 0:21:40.960 but it's like just to that limit of physicality, what's 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:42.919 that what's that like to carry it's a little bit 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:45.400 of a burden right where you're You're a little white 0:21:45.480 --> 0:21:48.560 kid from Utah. Dudes are gonna come at you. You know, 0:21:48.680 --> 0:21:51.320 you spent a couple of years, you know, preaching the gospel. 0:21:51.480 --> 0:21:55.720 So everybody, so guys think you're soft? Why do you? 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:58.879 How do you overcome that? Like? What is the we 0:21:58.920 --> 0:22:01.680 can we can sit around go in circles and talk 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:04.879 about how we're not supposed to have stereotypes. But the 0:22:04.880 --> 0:22:07.080 truth is when you walk into gym, but it's like 0:22:07.080 --> 0:22:11.840 shoot up right, but they also think you're soft? How 0:22:11.840 --> 0:22:14.760 do you overcome a stereotype like that? Where does that? 0:22:15.119 --> 0:22:16.800 Where does it come from? And I don't think it's 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:19.639 just you. I do think it's uh something about a 0:22:19.680 --> 0:22:24.680 lot of dudes from Utah. Yeah, I think it's um. 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:28.160 I don't know if it's I totally agree with that. 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:31.600 I think I'll start with that. I think that, um, 0:22:31.640 --> 0:22:33.400 you know, we got the chess team joke a lot 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:37.159 um where wherever we were going, it's like, oh, like 0:22:37.240 --> 0:22:41.320 this is gonna be easy. So I think that one 0:22:41.320 --> 0:22:44.239 of the things that that it stems from is just 0:22:44.320 --> 0:22:50.160 the fact that when when anybody's underestimated, um, there there's 0:22:50.200 --> 0:22:53.359 a sense of I have to prove something. And and 0:22:53.400 --> 0:22:58.200 I think that, um, when you look at guys that are, 0:22:58.600 --> 0:23:04.200